


Devotion

by valda



Series: The Deaths of Allegiant General Pryde [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asphyxiation, Choking, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Negligent Homicide, One-Sided Attraction, POV Dopheld Mitaka, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valda/pseuds/valda
Summary: It's been a year of ups and downs for Dopheld Mitaka. All he wants is to serve under General Hux, but circumstances keep getting in the way. One day, Doph sees an opportunity to better his situation for good...but things go a little differently than he expects.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Dopheld Mitaka, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Series: The Deaths of Allegiant General Pryde [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794328
Comments: 19
Kudos: 92





	Devotion

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to Tumblr [here](https://cosleia.tumblr.com/post/621466525757571072/what-if-pryde-choked-to-death-drinking-water).

Newly promoted major Dopheld Mitaka entered the officers’ mess in high spirits. Things had been a little shaky for the young officer since Starkiller; he’d been on the _Finalizer_ when the base blew, but after that, the ship had been recalled to the _Supremacy._ General Hux had transferred his flag to the Supreme Leader’s ship, taking Peavey and Opan with him, and he’d left Doph behind. It made sense, and Doph had been honored to be entrusted with the _Finalizer’s_ safety in Hux’s absence, but Doph privately thought General Hux might have found reason to bring him too. Peavey’s second in command, Colonel Trach, was more of a political animal than a leader. It was like pulling the ears off a gundark to get him to take any sort of definitive action. Doph’s brief time serving under the man was fraught with frustration.

Of course, that frustration had wound up short-lived; the _Supremacy_ had been destroyed shortly thereafter. While Doph was loath to celebrate such an enormous blow to the First Order, it did mean that General Hux came back to the _Finalizer_. For a while after that, things seemed to be going well again.

Then Batuu happened, and the _Finalizer_ was lost too.

Now, here on the _Steadfast_ , General Hux was not in command. This Allegiant General Pryde person had come seemingly out of nowhere to usurp him, and Doph couldn’t really figure out why. The official story was that Hux was disgraced due to the destruction of Starkiller Base, but everyone in the former _Finalizer_ crew knew it was really because some traitor gave in to Resistance threats and lowered the shields. The story was well-known even beyond the former flagship.

Doph sometimes thought, in the dark and silence of his chambers when he was utterly alone and reasonably safe, that perhaps Kylo Ren, now Supreme Leader, listened to Pryde out of sheer pettiness. He did, after all, seem to want to fight General Hux at every opportunity. Perhaps, given Hux’s abilities and power, this was the only way he could sideline him.

In any case, it was frustrating working under both generals while only truly respecting one, and Doph did his very best to favor General Hux’s orders. Today, his loyalty had been rewarded. This morning, General Hux himself had affixed a major’s armband to Doph’s new teal uniform. He’d smiled at Doph and thanked him for his service and congratulated him on his achievements, and for the rest of the morning Doph felt like the Force was lifting him off the floor—except in a good way, not a being-choked way.

Lunchtime offered an excuse to parade his new rank around a little and get compliments and congratulations, and that was why he was smiling as he stepped into the mess. But the smile froze on his face when he saw who else was there. Allegiant General Enric Pryde himself, the haughty Imperial throwback who carried a stick around for no reason and made everyone’s lives miserable, was standing at the bar surveying the room like he owned the place.

No one liked him, Doph was sure. His very existence was pointless. Why did he have to be here, generally, and why did he have to be _here_ , specifically, when Doph just wanted to celebrate?

“Major!” Nastia Unamo greeted him, shaking him out of his pout. The chief petty officer rose from her table and saluted. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Doph answered, ducking his head and blushing a little before remembering to release her from the salute. “May I join you?”

“Of course.”

More friends drifted in over the next few minutes, and as they settled in and talked and laughed, Doph mostly forgot about Pryde’s presence, though occasionally he’d catch the allegiant general in his peripheral vision and fight down a scowl. Doph was halfway through his lunch when Gunnery Chief Peera Maso burst in, cheeks flushed and breath coming hard. She scanned the room, found the group of friends, and hurried over. “You won’t believe this,” she said in a hushed voice, glancing around again as if afraid someone would overhear.

“What?” Petty Officer Rumitar Shay said.

“Shh!” Peera hushed him, waving a hand frantically in his face. “Not so loud!”

“What?” Rumitar repeated in an irritated whisper.

“You won’t believe what I’ve just seen. I was down in droid services to see about a replacement sentry droid for besh shift, and the technicians were purging data off a recon droid that had malfunctioned up on the command quarters deck, and some of it accidentally got played, and—” She broke off and looked around again.

“Cut the drama,” Nastia sighed at her. “It couldn’t have been _that_ incredible.”

“Oh,” Peera said, spinning toward Nastia, “it was. It was…” She pursed her lips in thought. “I think something big’s gonna happen.”

“Gunnery Chief,” came a very unwelcome voice at Doph’s elbow, and Doph jolted in his seat as he realized Pryde had swiftly cleared the distance between the bar and their table. “I do not abide _gossip_ on board my ship.” He was holding a glass of water, so his swagger stick was under his arm; otherwise, Doph was sure he would have slapped it into his palm threateningly, like the self-important bully he was.

“Yes, sir!” Peera said, straightening to attention. “Apologies, sir!”

“What was it that you felt was so important as to break this policy? Tell us all, Gunnery Chief.”

“Oh,” Peera said, her eyes darting frantically from person to person. Doph gave her a sympathetic grimace when her gaze met his. “I. Um.”

“Spit it out.” Pryde leered at her.

“I saw holo footage of Supreme Leader Ren and General Hux near the Supreme Leader’s chambers.”

Pryde cocked an eyebrow. “That hardly seems momentous, Gunnery Chief. Certainly not worth all these dramatics.” He took a disdainful, dismissive sip of his water.

“They were kissing,” Peera said.

Gasps filled the room. Pryde choked, letting out an unholy gurgling sound. He made as if to cough into his hand, but the coughs never made it out of his throat; his entire body bucked with the effort. He dropped his water glass and it shattered against the durasteel floor.

Pryde turned wide blue eyes on everyone at the table, clutching at his throat with one hand and grasping outward with the other. He stumbled backward, still convulsing, still making odd, cut-off guttural noises. Everyone stared at him.

“Should we do something?” Rumitar murmured.

Doph muttered back, “Don’t really want to.”

Pryde fell to his knees. His face had turned bright red. His eyes rolled wildly. He collapsed to the floor. As they all watched, his body shook briefly, then went still.

Nastia stood up and rounded the table to stand next to him. Slowly, she turned him over with her foot. His lips were blue.

They could still save him, Doph knew. They could clear his airway, get him breathing again, and medbay could make sure he was properly oxygenated after that.

He stood. “Back to your stations,” he said. “You all left before this happened and heard nothing about it.”

After Pryde, Doph was the highest-ranking person in the room. But not everyone here was a friend; not everyone here had served on the _Finalizer_ or _Supremacy_. Doph knew what he was doing was dangerous.

But with Pryde out of the way, Hux would be in charge again. All would be well.

Slowly, everyone nodded. Every officer who had witnessed Pryde’s fall filed out of the mess silently. A few of them actually gave Doph a smile.

When the room was empty, Doph used his foot to turn Pryde’s body back over the way it had been when he fell. Then, gloves on, he used Pryde’s datapad to reserve the officers’ mess for the next three hours. Pryde’s body would not be discovered for some time. The scene properly handled, Doph tapped the controls that opened the mess door—but when it swished up into the ceiling, General Hux was standing behind it.

Doph’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes went wide. He stood there frozen, feeling the blood draining from his face.

General Hux’s face stayed blank for a few grueling seconds. Then his lips curved upward into a tight smile. “With me,” he said, and he turned and swept down the hall.

Doph made sure the mess door closed and sealed behind him before hurrying to catch up with his general.

“I knew you were talented, Major,” General Hux said when Doph reached his side. “But even I underestimated you. You see an opportunity, and you take it, unlike so many other officers. You deserve more than a promotion. I’d like you to be part of my personal detail.”

“Sir?” Doph asked, low-level terror thrumming through his veins. What if the general found out—

“I’ve been waiting for the right time, the right opportunity,” General Hux went on. “But you found it for me. I have Opan altering the security tapes as we speak. It will be ruled an accident.”

Doph blinked. Licked his lips. Tried not to trip over his own feet.

“It’s fortunate I had the weasel under surveillance,” Hux continued. “In future, with you as part of my detail, we’ll be able to coordinate these things more tightly. But make no mistake—I am very pleased with you, Major Mitaka.”

“Thank you, sir!” Doph blurted out. His mind was swirling. He had, essentially, murdered Allegiant General Pryde, and he was pretty sure General Hux was praising him for it.

They came upon a conference room. Hux guided Doph inside and sealed the door. “Are you loyal, Major?” he asked, turning to face Doph. He was tall and severe and perfect, the very image of the First Order, greatcoat slung regally over his shoulders, green eyes flashing with the power and intent to remake the galaxy.

“Yes, sir!” Doph said, feeling a surge of pride under Hux’s gaze. He was loyal. He was true.

“To the Order?” Hux asked.

“Yes, sir!”

“To me?”

Doph didn’t even hesitate. “You _are_ the Order, sir! I’ll follow you until I die!”

Hux looked so pleased with him that Doph didn’t know what to do. His heart soared and his breath caught and his stomach flipped.

“Very good, Major. I shall see you this evening in my chambers, where you will meet the rest of my detail, and we will discuss your future.”

Doph returned to his duties renewed. He’d done well. He’d made General Hux happy. General Hux was back in charge and everything was good again.

He didn’t remember what had made Pryde choke in the first place until that night, when he officially joined Hux’s inner circle. After a dizzying discussion of galactic plans and goals Doph would never have dreamed of achieving before, the question of Emperor Palpatine came up.

“I’ve been considering how we might take his ships,” Opan was saying. “We’ll need to control the navigational beacon in order to safely extract them from Exegol. A team will need to infiltrate.”

“Will the Supreme Leader agree with going against Emperor Palpatine?” Doph asked. “I mean, I definitely do, it’s just—” He broke off with a frown. The group was laughing. “What?”

“It was his idea, Mitaka,” Hux said. “My husband may be…let us say passionate, but he’s no fool. He knows Palpatine means to use and destroy us.”

Husband. Doph remembered what Peera had said: that Ren and General Hux were kissing.

“The marriage is a secret, for now,” Hux continued. “All will become clear once Palpatine is destroyed and our rule has been firmly established. But let us continue to the matter of traitors. The worst of them is now gone, thanks to Major Mitaka here…”

Doph barely heard him. He felt hollow suddenly, as though everything wonderful that had happened today had been carved out of him, leaving gaping emptiness behind. He could think of no reason he should feel this way. He should be glad, honored to be privy to General Hux’s deepest secrets.

He was. Of course he was. How could he feel any differently? He was closer to Hux now than he had ever been before. Now, he’d never be apart from Hux again.

Hux was right there, right within reach.

Except, Doph realized, remembering the way Kylo Ren had grabbed him by the throat with the Force, dragged him bodily through the air, and nearly choked the life out of him just because he’d brought bad news, Hux was thoroughly untouchable.


End file.
